Kolkata, July 23 -- After widespread allegations of graft in issuing birth and death certificates, the West Bengal government on Thursday barred municipal and panchayat bodies from issuing them even as the police launched a massive crackdown on errant officials and seized all related registers and documents across the state.
From now on, no civic body head or panchayat pradhan will have the authority to issue birth and death certificates," Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal told newspersons at the state secretariat Nabanna.
Agarwal warned of stern action against all offenders, including officials, involved in the irregularities.
"There have been many cases of manipulation of birth and death certificates, because of which there was rampant cor...